He told The Sun: 'I could see a pushbike, like a mountain bike, and the front wheel was all buckled. I went into the garage and asked what was going on. She said "Bradley Wiggins has just been knocked off his bike".

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Parts of the car that hit Wiggins outside a petrol station in Wrightington, where he was knocked off his bike

'The ambulance turned up and they treated him for a while. He was up and walking around, but apparently he wasn’t too good.'

Wiggins, a father of two, broke his collarbone in the 2011 Tour de France before recovering to win this year’s event and take gold medal in the Olympic time trial.

The national hero only recently shaved off his ‘lucky’ sideburns.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: 'Police were called to the scene of a road traffic accident at Crow Orchard Road in Wrightington at about 6pm this evening.

Scene: A van collided with Wiggins after setting off from a petrol station forecourt

'A cyclist has been involved in a collision with a white Vauxhall Astra car. The rider of the bike, a 32-year-old local man, was taken to hospital by ambulance with injuries not thought to be life-threatening. His family have been told.'

In a statement on its website, Team Sky said: 'We can confirm that on Wednesday evening Bradley Wiggins was involved in a road traffic accident whilst riding his bike near his home in Lancashire.

'He is being kept in hospital overnight for observation but the injuries he has sustained are not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a full and speedy recovery.

'We will announce more details in due course.'

Hero: Wiggins was the first Briton to win the Tour

VIDEO: Champion Wiggins is recovering in hospital after being knocked down...